


Twelve Angry TimeLords

by gay pidgeon (orphan_account), Queen__Queer



Category: Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Post Serial: s143 The Trial of a Time Lord, all the relationships r lowkey, i hope i can edit tags, idk whats gonna happen, im aro what do you expect?, itll be there tho, just later on, the thasmin is kinda lowkey, well i kinda do
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22604815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/gay%20pidgeon, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queen__Queer/pseuds/Queen__Queer
Summary: The Doctor had been far too quiet recently but her silence is forcibly broken as her past comes back to haunt her. An old friend has been called upon to defend her in court, and one does not easily avoid a trial from the TimeLords. Something seems amiss in the courtroom, though. The accusations seem to be from later in the jury's timeline and the prosecution is incredibly under prepared to deal with a case such as the Doctor's. Meanwhile the ever chaotic Master for once appears worried, scared even, for the well being of their rival.
Relationships: The Doctor & The Master (Doctor Who), The Doctor/Yasmin Khan, Thirteenth Doctor/Yasmin Khan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. Episode 1: A Mysterious Summons

**Author's Note:**

> Its been ages since I wrote anything more than like, 2 lines. I hope you all enjoy!

The Doctor had been very quiet for their past few trips. She would think internally more often and useless words to explain her plans. She rambled less too. Despite her seemingly sudden quietness, she would still talk, she'd still help to fill the silence. So when the TARDIS console room is completely silent after the doors shut after an adventure is over, the three companions begin to worry.

Yaz looks over to the Doctor, head hung low with one hand on the console and another at her side under her coat, "Are you alright, Doctor?"

The Doctor nods slightly, hair falling more into her face than before.

"Are you sure 'bout that, Doc?" Graham asks her, stepping closer.

"I'm doing fine, fam. Just a bit…" she grunts and moves her hand away, revealing blood on it, "Well...guess you can see for yourself, ey?"

The group all let out different but similarly shocked sounds.

"Doctor, we need to get you help," Yaz runs to the women's side who responds by turning away and saying, "No, no, it's fine...I'll be alright in just a moment...I'm dying.. a-and, when I die, I don't properly die..not really, anyway...y-you see, what I do is I-"

"Ramble," another voice speaks from the dark edges of the room, "Just get on with it and die already. Stop being so dramatic." The Master stands and walks into the center of the room, going to stand in front of the Doctor. "Now, every time you regenerate you almost always destroy the TARDIS, and I would hate for," he puts an arm around Yaz, "your dear companions to fall out of the sky." The wheezing of the TARDIS signals it’s teleporting away to a destination already inputted into the navigation. He pulls an alien pistol from his coat and points it at the Doctor, "So hurry it up will you?"

In a moment Yaz kicks the Master's knees out from under him and grabs the gun, pointing it at his head.

"Ah," he snaps his fingers and points at Yaz, "that's why you're my favorite." He states at Yaz for a moment, "Now, if you're going to shoot me, go ahead and do it now. I die a lot quicker than the Doctor."

"Keep quiet." Yaz adjusts the gun in her hand.

"I have the right to remain silent, I get it. If you insist though." He pulls his hand over his mouth like a zipper before putting his hands up and standing. He turns to the Doctor and bows, grabbing a small disk-like object from his jacket and presenting it to the Doctor. "I do believe they're expecting different faces for this occasion. So if you wouldn't mind shooting me," he taps a spot on the back of his head, "right here. I won't hold it against you, I swear."

With no response from Yaz the Master sighs and quickly turns, appearing to reach for the gun. A shot is fired and he falls backward, his head slamming against the floor. 

"You know…" the Doctor starts, "if I weren't dying right now, I'd be proper mad about that." A recognizable golden light starts to glow from the Doctor's hand, soon followed by the same glow around the hole in the Master's head. The Doctor holds her hands in front of her and stares at the glow for a moment, "I'd step back, the lot of you." The three humans do as they're told and move backward. Yaz drops the pistol. "I'm going to miss this face, didn't have it for very long.. oh well, nothing I can do about that now…"

The glow grows stronger before taking over the entire room for only a moment. A taller woman stands in the Doctor's place. She runs a hand through her dark and short hair, "Curly again. I did enjoy the curls." Her voice is deeper. She steps away from the console and around the body of the Master without looking down at it. "Oh, this body feels a lot older already. What do you all think?" She turns to the shocked faces of her companions.

"Doctor? Is that you?" Yaz mutters.

"You alright, Doc?" Graham asks.

"Looks good. Might take some getting used to but it looks nice, mate," Ryan assures her.

She smiles, not as bright but much more genuine than before, "Thanks, Ryan. It means a lot. And yes, it is me. As for alright...for the moment I think so."

"Ah fuckin' hell!" The Master groans from the floor and jumps up, "Ooo, I'm light on my feet, aren't I? But my head hurts like hell!" The Master takes a step forward and spins on their heels to face the group, "Oh my, I'm a woman again! Ha! This is fun! But I am back to being shorter than you! Am I American? No, no it's something else, hm, who knows." She takes a step and stumbles, "Oop, still all wobbly. And I am swimming in these clothes! Purple does not suit me anymore." She bounces back and forth on her feet, "Do ya mind if I break into your wardrobe?" She shifts her weight and walks to the stairs with a bounce in her step. She disappears into the corridors of the TARDIS.

"Are...you just letting her wander around in here?" Graham asks as he watches the Master leave.

"I see no harm in it. It is unlikely she'll be able to do much harm at the moment." The Doctor accidentally kicks something while taking a step and looks down to see the disk the Master had tried to hand her. She kneels down and picks it up, examining it from a crouching position. She reads the writing on the top of it. The companions lean over and attempt to read the Gallifreyan text. Graham squints before asking, "What's it say, Doc?"

She responds with a minor amount of confusion and a smaller, well hidden, amount of terror in her voice, "Its a witness summons."

"Is it bad I'm not 100% sure what that is?" Ryan mutters.

"The Master has been summoned to serve as a witness in my trial…" 

The sounds of light footsteps mark the Master's returned presence to the room. The Doctor turns to her, holding up the disk, "This shouldn't be possible."

He drops a pair of robes onto the console, "We are in a time machine, Doctor."

"How long ago is this from?"

"Only a hundred or so years after your last trial. Missy was the one who got it though, it did recently just beep. A warning, I think. Or a reminder."

"What makes you a good witness against me?"

"I've seen a lot of the same things you have, Doctor, it would be pretty easy to be a witness for almost any of your affairs. Now, I believe we're going to need to get a bit dressed up." She holds up the robes for the Doctor to see, "I never thought you'd be sentimental to the point of keeping these here." She tosses one of the Gallifreyan robes to the Doctor who catches it with ease. "I supposed I'll have to just throw them on over this. What'd ya think, Doctor? I think it's pretty snazzy." The Master motions to her own outfit which she had scrounged from the wardrobes in the TARDIS. A white button-up with the collar up and a small gold chain clipped onto either side of the collar. She has a black velvet vest with a black poofy fabric going from her elbows to wrists. She grabs a monitor and glances at it before pressing a few buttons and quickly looking back up at the monitor, squinting, and mumbles, "God, I really am getting old, huh?" The TARDIS seems to respond to her statement by popping a small compartment open. The Master grabs the glasses from inside and puts them on, "That's better! Alrighty then, oh, I can get a good look at myself now!"

As the Master fiddles with the console, the Doctor stares at the robes in her hands, "Do you three want me to drop you back home?"

"No way, we're staying by your side for this, mate," Ryan nods, looking down to the robes for a moment, "What are those anyway?"

"Traditional Gallifreyan robes. And, I suppose it is best that I at least look like I respect that lot." The Doctor takes off her now too small coat and drapes it on the console, before sliding on the robes with quite a bit of difficulty. The elaborate collar piece smacks the Doctor's head before falling into place.

"Looking sexy, Doctor," the Master floofs her short hair and a bit of it falls over her eye, "I've no clue what my hair is doing but I do have to say I'm liking it thus far. Now," she grabs the disk from the Doctor's hand slides it open. A small hologram of coordinates appears from the disk. The Master punches the coordinates into the TARDIS and pulls a lever. The TARDIS shudders and wheezes, "Off we go!" The room shakes and everyone stumbles to the side. The Doctor grabs the console to keep her standing and snarls, "Get your hands off my TARDIS."

The Master puts her hands up just as the room shakes again and she goes tumbling back, laughing as she falls and rolls. "Ow, shit, ok, this body is much more flexible but christ that still hurt.." she pushes herself up and grabs a pillar. She puts a hand on her head, "Ah, headache already."

The Doctor rolls her eyes and plays around with the console a bit, managing to stabilize them. The companions stand against two of the crystal pillars, with Yaz and Ryan standing next to each other and Graham against the other pillar. 

"Dammit, Doctor. These robes are made for your tall ass!" The Master tosses the extra set of robes to the side. The collar clangs against the metal floor. "Guess I'm not getting all fancied up for your execution."

"Execution?!" Yaz shouts.

"I mean all things considered this occasion will either be your death or the creation of your past prosecution in which case it seems to basically be equivalent to your death so, really it doesn't matter which one happens," the Master walks back over to the console and grabs a hold to keep from falling again. The TARDIS lands. The silence hangs in the air for a moment. It’s broken by a knock.

Four knocks against the old wooden door. An old and gruff voice shouts from beyond it.

"Open up, Doctor!"

The two TimeLords in the room make eye-contact. The shorter one speaks, low and for the first time in a long while, scared, "We're here. And I think it's best we go and say hi.."

The Master goes and pushes open the TARDIS doors and is immediately presented with two ceremonial type spears at her neck. She holds up her hands in surrender, "Woah there boys, I'm not the one you should be threatening. I'm the witness, remember?"

The two guards glance at each other, the one on the left nods and they both move back. The Master sighs and steps forward, "Thanks for that." She turns around and waves for the others to come outside, "C'mon y'all! They might need a few more witnesses! They won't hurt you, not with the Doctor here at least."

Hesitantly, Yaz steps out of the TARDIS, followed by Ryan and then Graham. The two guards watch the three humans leave and go to stand near but not quite next to the Master.

The Doctor walks out a moment later, and the spears go straight to her neck, keeping her in line. The guards are silent and move behind the Doctor, beckoning her forward. She moves along down the hallway, cold and marble and familiar. Yaz, Ryan, and Graham walk behind the Doctor and the guards, with the Master at the end of the parade. They near a set of large golden doors with two more guards standing in front of them. The two new guards open the doors for the group and the Doctor is led into a courtroom room. A jury of 12 sit behind a judge in white, and two empty seats lay opposite from each other in front of the 13.

"Where's the prosecution this time?" The Doctor asks as she's pushed forward to her seat. She sits and the guards step back.

"Pleasure to see you again too, Doctor," the judge says from his seat, "How long has it been for you?" 

"Long enough to have me believe I'd never be back here again."

"I see. Well, I didn't expect to be the judge at your second trial, so this was a surprise to many of us. As for the prosecution, the Valeyard from your last trial will not be joining us. We have an impartial prosecution this time. He should be arriving shortly. But will the witnesses please take a seat for now?" The guards who lead them in, show the four to a short row of chairs. They sit and a set of doors opposite the first open. A man steps through in black robes without a collar but instead with decorative shoulder pads lined with silver. He takes a seat across from the Doctor.

"Perfect," the judge starts, "now that everyone is here, we can begin."  
\---

A cluster of darkness grows closer together. And it pulls against its source.


	2. Episode 2: Fallen Friends

"Perfect," the judge starts, "now that everyone is here, we can begin." He clears his throat and stands. The jury stands with him, followed soon after by the Prosecution and the Doctor. The Master nudges Yaz who’s sitting next to her as she stands up. Yaz, Ryan, and Graham follow her lead. The judge speaks again, “Now, to begin the trial of the Doctor, with Sir Panvin as our prosecution, the Doctor as her own defender, and the TimeLord known as the Master serving as a witness. Along with three of the Doctor’s...human companions, apparently serving as witnesses as well.” He sits down and the rest of the room follows. “The prosecution will present his evidence first, followed by witness accounts-”

“I-I am afraid, Inquisitor Darkel,” the prosecutor stands, “that a few key witnesses are unable to join us..” he fiddles with his hands, “Y-you see they’re, uh, w-well Romana has decided against being a witness. A number of them are, um…” he glances over at the Doctor and back to the Inquisitor, “The young Alzarian, Adric, has sadly been, well...out of commission for a while now. The Doctor’s granddaughter, Susan Foreman, cannot be contacted. Melanie Bush has been with the rouge Sabalom Glitz and when we tried to contact her recently we had found out that she had, um, sadly...passed…” he glances over at the Doctor once more before turning his eyes to the ground. The Doctor is staring at the ground in something that seems to be similar to shame or regret. “As for Peri Brown, she said that she did not want to see the Doctor again after the events of the last trial.” The Doctor winces with that statement. “We have also attempted to contact friends of the Doctor’s from our future, such as Bill Potts and Clara Oswald, but we have been unable to get them here for...a few reasons…”

“Get to the point, please,” Darkel chides.

“Right, right, of course, apologies, Sir...That is all to say that, we will not be having as many witnesses as first intended so, um, well…”

“It’s quite alright, Panvin. We will make due without those witnesses.” The Prosecution nods in response and sits down. “Now,” the judge continues, “If you will please present your first piece of evidence?”

“Excuse me for just a moment,” the Doctor sits forward, “but, may I know what I am being tried for this time?”

“Of course. Not only are you once again being tried for meddeling and genocide, the charges of blatent disreguard for the very strict rules of time travel and being complacent in the attack on a level 5 planet have been added.”

“When have I ever-”

“Now, if that is all done, will the Prosecution please present its first piece of evidence?” 

Panvin stands, “We’ll be starting with an adventure from the Doctor's 11th face. When they met the Empress of the Racnoss."

"That was my 10th face, well, it was the *Doctor's* 10th face though my 11th," the Doctor butts in.

"Y-yes, sure, well…the Empress of the Racnoss, who was killed by the Doctor, was in fact the last of the ancient race of the Racnoss. We-we have all seen the accounts from the Matrix, th-though I will play it again for the court." He presses a button and a screen behind the jury blares to life.

\---

"A-as for witness accounts of this event, Ms. Donna Noble is in the strange situation of having her memory wiped and being unable to remember anything of the Doctor without dying…" the prosecution says while shutting off the screen.

"You could take her out of time before the mind wipe? You've done it before- well, you will do it. Why not just do that?" The Doctor questions. She sits back and crosses her legs.

Darkel answers before the prosecution gets the chance, "There is not a good moment in her timeline to remove her. And before you say anything, while yes it is technically an account of genocide we have taken into account your defences from your last trial. You were in the tricky situation of killing an entire planet or killing one person which would inadvertently kill off the entire species. The evidence is ruled to be unfit in this circumstance. Please do present your next piece of evidence."

"Uh, right," Panvin twiddle his thumbs, "well, I believe we have multiple accounts of the Doctor disregarding the rules of time travel. Pompeii, when the Doctor chose to save a family that was meant to die in the explosion. There are also a few, albeit vague, accounts of the Doctor supposedly meeting different versions of themself. Clara Oswald was taken out of time and the Doctor let her go travelling with a human child whom he made immortal. Along with many other cases of similar events."

"Oh please, everyone knows that I, nor anyone, has control over if time goes all wonky and I meet myself! And it's not like I'm the only person, or TimeLord even who has met themselves! The Master even has not only recently met a past version of themselves but had triggered each others regenerations while also, mind you, creating the cybermen once again to destroy a ship full of innocent people!" The Doctor objects.

"No need to bring my crimes into this," the Master mumbles to herself. 

"And you can only think of three occurrences of me tampering with time? Seriously?"

"Um, there are also occasions where you have told people of the future in a way which had affected their decisions," the prosecution says, "Your 6th face, your 8th face, multiple times with your 8th face in fact...your face before this one seems to have warned a people of the destruction of their own planet...There is also much evidence of the Doctor's general incompetence while time traveling. When the Doctor goes to the past they very rarely erase important memories from notable historical figures, with Nikola Tesla being a very recent example. The Doctor also frequently allows their companions to die on adventures.."

"They all know what they're getting themselves into!"

"Though death is not the only consequence of traveling with the Doctor. Amy Pond and Rory Williams were the victims of the Weeping Angels, Martha Jones had her family tortured, and Rose Tyler was trapped in another dimension. A-and all of those were rather recent occurrences. Please, Doctor, explain how any of your companions could know that their fates would be as they were.."

"I tell them that traveling with me is dangerous! You cannot blame me for everything that happens in my presence!" 

"N-no, Doctor, but there is one occasion where your neglect directly harmed your companion..The same occasion of the- the Master meeting themself that you mentioned earlier is what I will be showing the court…" He presses a button and the screen lights up again, "The death of Bill Potts, as allowed by the Doctor's incompetence."

\---

The video from the Matrix is paused, frozen on a picture of Bill with a hole going straight through her stomach. The Doctor grimaces and looks away, "You are really going to use someone else's actions against me?"

"Doctor," the Inquisitor states, "your presence in the situation did have an impact on what happened. And since we do have an eye witness for this evidence, I will call the Master to the stand to speak." He looks over to the row of witnesses. The Master nods and stands, walking to a platform next to where the Doctor sits. The judge continues speaking, "Now, the Doctor has decided that their defense will be that they can no way be held responsible for the death and conversion of Bill Potts. Let's start simple, do you believe the Doctor is at all responsible for her death?"

The Master answers simply, "Yes."

"Do you believe the Doctor is completely responsible for everything that happened?"

"No."

"If the Doctor is not fully responsible, then who would you say is to share the blame?"

"I am. I'd say it's more my fault than anyone else's, really. It was the Doctor who let me act as them for the adventure but...it was me at the end of the day. There’s no point denying it.”

“I see. Now, the Doctor mentioned that you also met a past version of yourself? And if the records are correct then the end of that little.. adventure was when you regenerated into your last form, correct? Can you explain what happened to cause your regeneration?”

“Yeah, yeah well...OK so I had just ran off with myself and betrayed the Doctor, yeah? And well, yeah if you betray the Doctor it’s unlikely you’d think it's a good idea for long. And sooooo, I may have, possibly...triedtogobacktotheDoctorandtheothermeshotmeintheback... “ she folds her hands in front of her and nods as she says, “and that's how I died. I shouldn’t have been able to regenerate again but,” she shrugs, “death and I aren’t really talking at the moment...I then also shot the other me.”

“I see. And As for Ms. Potts..? You had some sort of interaction with her, yes?”

“Oh yeah, me- well the other me- well, you know what I mean, turned her into a Cyberman after she got shot. The other me also ended up befriending her while in disguise for like, 10 years or something...All before she died, for a second time.”

"I see. Is there anything else to note?"

"No, no I think that's it. There were some, incredibly uncomfortable interactions with myself, but nothing else important to the trial."

He nods, "Thank you, Master. You may take your seat again." 

She steps off the small platform and returns to her seat, looking towards the Doctor who's sitting back, arms crossed and glaring down at the floor.

"The prosecution can continue with the next piece of evidence."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow i actually posted when i said i would

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably try to upload a new chapter every Friday, but who knows how that'll go


End file.
